Different factors act as CAD risks in men and women, study finds

Varying factors affect the risk of heart attack in men and women, according to a report by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina.

A study found that there are different risk scenarios between males and females leading to coronary artery disease (CAD).

Using a relatively non-invasive test, the scientists were able to measure coronary arteries for blockages, which would cause a narrowing of the blood vessels and reduce the blood supply to the heart.

The researchers tested 480 patients with a mean age of 55 who all reported acute chest pain and found that in around the del 65 per cent of the patients who were women the risk of plaque build-up in the vessels was increased.

John W Nance, a radiology resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, said: "This research tells us that extensive coronary plaque is more worrisome in women than the equivalent amount in men.